Moon Dancer
by The Crafty Imp
Summary: A young nymph is driven from her home by the madman Fleur and is taken in by the White Singer, while she suffers the painful ordeal of waiting and wondering if her family and friends will ever return she meet's a bored Bronx boy and finds that the waiting may not be the worst part after all...


**Here's a little known fact, I am obsessed with Cirque su Soleil, and after a pretty freakish brain wave I came up with this. It was intended as a one shot but as you can probably see it got away from me just a little, this is my first ever Cirque story. So enjoy my darling's xxx**

* * *

Joyful laughter echoed through the Alegrian forest, the full moon shone high among the twinkling stars as the small clan of Nymph's danced and sung in perfect harmony under the ethereal glow. The blue beings flitted and leaped around the clearing, their movements lighter than air as they twirled to the songs sung by their sisters. They're beautiful music could be heard for miles, even the White Angels and Bronx kids had stopped and gathered to listen. They settled themselves in the tree branches and the soft grass, simply content to close their eyes and listen. They soon opened again when a young Nymph took center stage, the music had stopped. Mildly shocking the creatures present into opening their eyes and gaze in confusion, their expressions quickly turned to one of awe as they watched the Nymph, Luna, dance. Most forgot to blink as they beheld the young being twist and twirl in the circle formed by her spectators, her majestic wings swayed in time with her delicate arms and she seamlessly and weightlessly danced to the harmony sung by her clan mates who had also sat themselves among the White Angels to sing for her. The glow from the moon accentuated each midnight feather on her wings and each marking on her fair skin, because her dancing always seems more beautiful at night she often used the moon as a spotlight, leading her sister to call her 'Moon Dancer' and eventually 'Luna', But despite her skill, Luna was missing one of the most crucial things any creature could have: a voice.

Luna had been born a mute, no one understood why. She'd tried for years, for so long she had tried to echo the perfect harmonies of her sisters and clan-mates, to talk to them. But to no avail, it was something that had held her back most of her young life. But one day, her elder sister Aria had taught her to dance. Her natural skill evolved into something beautiful and Luna had learned to express herself through movement and facial expression, she was the best dancer in the clan, not even the most mature Nymphs could match her. But even though she had the prettiest eyes, the most passionate nature and the most talent, Luna still grieved not having a voice, and a small part of her always will.

Eventually, her dance came to an end. She skipped over to Aria and began to twirl with her sister as the Nymphs' song began to pick up speed and develop into something more uplifting. More laughter and smiles broke out between the spectators as the Nymph's encouraged them to join in. Luna found herself pirouetting around a young White Angel, the guardian matched her every move with equal grace and balance. They never lost their momentum; even if the Bronx men and women were beginning to fatigue they didn't want music to end, dancing with the Nymphs was one of the most joyful things in all of Alegria. They were youthful, peaceful and they celebrated all that was wonderful in life. Their happiness and joy was undeniably infectious, and they were more than happy to share this wonderful gift with whomever they met. Their dance continued; colour's of blue, white and bronze blended together creating a stunning spectacle of movement and grace.

As the Bronx people began to tire, a harsh laugh cut the Nymph's dreamlike song to halt in its tracks. Each being froze and turned in the same direction. Closer to the source of the awful noise, the younger Bronx boys and girls fled deep into the trees, followed by some of the child-nymphs. The clan elders and the White Angels asserted themselves, carefully pushing their way to the front. Aria planted herself firmly in front of Luna, curling her wings back protectively around her little sister. Luna meekly peeked through the thick plumage, her eyes widened as the notorious madman Fleur stalked towards the Angels. The tip of his cane glowed eerily in the darkness, highlighting his crazed grin. Luna shuddered and buried her face into Aria's warm wings.

"You are not welcome here Fleur" a gentle, yet firm voice ordered. Luna looked up again to see one of the White Angels squaring up to the red-coated man, Fleur simply laughed again. A terrible piercing sound that made Luna shudder.

"Why my dear boy, this is my realm! I am welcome anywhere in Alegria!" he cackled again. Most of the Bronx children had fled now, only the adult Nymphs and Angels remained, Aria glared at the deranged Fleur and tried to shield Luna as much as she could.

"What do you want?" the same Angel asked, not even bothering to correct the man's statement knowing it would fall on deaf ears. Luna glanced around the clearing, gasping when she saw a group of the deformed nostalgic old birds close in from the treeline.

"Ha! Straight to the point, I like that" Fleur laughed "And since you asked so nicely, this" He gestured wildly with his arms, nearly toppling because of his uneven weight. "It's a lovely spot if I may say so myself, perfect for expanding my empire. Not to mention the wonderful dancers" Luna gulped, not daring to take her eyes of the old birds as they inched closer to the Nymphs, 'they can't actually hurt us can they?' she thought to herself 'they sure don't look the same as they did when they were young so surely they couldn't move and fight like they use to?'.

"This land doesn't belong to you" The Angel replied with a coldness that was never heard from his kind "It belongs to the Nymphs, and they are under our protection. Now leave" But of course, Fleur didn't move, he simply smirked and gestured at the old birds that now had them surrounded.

"You underestimate us boy" the madman replied "You may be youthful, but we have our own advantages. And these Nymphs would be perfect for my palace, particularly the moon dancer. A very fitting name if I must say"

Silence, Aria cried out and wrapped her arms around a now terrified Luna. The younger Nymph was stunned, she simply stared. Wide eyed as Fleur fixed his crazed gaze on hers, the remained Angels and Nymphs seemed to crowd around the two of them. Luna was on the verge of tears, 'what does he want with me?' she frantically asked herself over and over, burying her face into her elder sister's shoulder.

"Yes" He said, more to himself than anyone "A talent like that is rare indeed, I've had my eye out for you for a while now my dear, you'll do. You'll do" He gestured once again, the old birds nodded. What happened next happened so quickly that Luna didn't even register how she managed to end up sprawled out on the ground. Aria hauled her to her feet and grabbed her shoulders, making sure to keep her shielding from the conflict behind them. Looking past her sister's intense gaze, Luna gasped in horror as the old birds scuffled with the White Angels while the other Nymph's desperately tried to keep them from reaching her. Shouts and cries could be heard as the clawed and swung at one another.

"Luna, listen to me!" Aria yelled. The younger Nymph turned her gaze back to her sisters. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she held her sister's half scared, half furious gaze. "Run, get as far away from this forest as you can. You're not safe here!" Luna gasped again; her throat began to close as she shook her head violently, Aria cupped her face, her expression more desperate than angry. "Please sweet sister, escape while you can, the White Singer can help you. I promise I'll find you when this is over" With one final sob, Luna wrenched herself from the safety of her sister's grasp and swiftly bolted for the forest. Effortlessly hauling herself up a large oak tree just in case anyone tried to pursue, still weeping she blindly leaped from branch to branch as she flitted through the dense, dark Alegrian forest. She could still hear the screams from the scuffle even though it had to be a good mile or two behind her now; she stopped momentarily to glance back. Scanning the pitch black forest with her keen eyes to see if Aria had followed, seeing no one. She slumped to the ground, wincing and collapsing to her knees when she realized how out of breath she was. She had no idea how long she'd been running, Luna clutched her stomach painfully and fell once more on to her side, not caring if she was getting covered in mud. Still unable to control her sobbing, breathing became incredibly difficult. It wasn't long before she began to get dizzy; dark spots ate at the corners of her vision. She wanted to move, he wings were twisted beneath her small form, but she couldn't even manage a twitch of her finger now and after a few more minutes of desperately fighting to stay awake, she gave into the tempting exhaustion. Hoping and praying that Aria would be there when she awoke once more.

* * *

Luna didn't remember much about the events that happened before she passed out, but as her eyes fluttered open as the morning light shone through the window she slowly and painfully sat up. Wincing and silently groaning as a sharp burst of red hot pain shot through both her blue wings, her eyes watered briefly before she blinked them dry again. Looking around the room, she took in the cream walls, the mahogany dresser, the gold headboard and bed posts and the intricate patterns carved into the ceiling. The simple design had a comfy, almost homey feeling to it. But the first thing she noticed was that she was alone, that's when the fear kicked in. she had no idea where she was, for all she knew the old birds had gotten to her before the Nymphs did and she was now at Fleur's palace.

She didn't have a chance to panic someone knocked her door three times, her head whipped to the left as someone peeked their head in. Luna immediately relaxed as a much older looking Nymph entered the small bedroom; it wasn't one from her clan. But it was still a relief to see that Fleur didn't take her. The older Nymph smiled warmly and took a few steps towards Luna.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake" She said softly, at Luna's confused, slightly fearful gaze the other Nymph chuckled softly "It's alright, my name is Selene. You're at the White Singer's palace, a White Angel brought you here, you're safe" Luna sighed in relief, giving Selene a small smile. The older Nymph offered a hand and carefully helped Luna to her feet. The younger Nymph was a little shaky, but her natural balance kept her from falling. She wanted to ask who it was that brought her here, but unless she learned some remarkable sign language she was helpless. When both women were standing comfortably Selene spoke up again.

"I'm sure you must have a lot of questions" She began somewhat awkwardly "So I'll just fill you in, Haylan is the name of the Angel who brought you here, and he told us that your name was Luna. Do you know him?" Luna snapped to attention, Haylan was a good friend of hers, at her eager nod Selene continued "You were unconscious and your wings were pretty badly twisted, but thankfully Fleur didn't even notice you escape. Haylan also told me about your voice, or lack off voice, even" Selene gave her a sympathetic look "He also told us to inform you that your sister along with the rest of your clan had decided to track Fleur and the old birds, but he promised that they'd come back for you and that your sister wants nothing more than for you to be safe" Luna stared, dumbstruck. Tears began to fill her eyes once more, Aria promised to find her straight away. What if they were hurt while tracking that awful man Fleur? What if she never saw her sister again? All these question buzzed in her mind, making her feel dizzy all over again. Selene saw this and pulled the young Nymph into a hug, crooning soft words and calming her down before she became hysterical. It worked; Luna's managed to curb the sobs threatening to break out, she sniffled pathetically and looked up at the older Nymph sadly. Selene gently took her hand and led her out the door.

"Come little one, I think some air would do you good"

* * *

Selene led her down a corridor and through two double doors, revealing a garden bigger than the land Luna had grown up on. She was thrown by the sheer size of it, she could hardly believe that this place was merely someones back garden. She allowed Selene to guide her down a path, Luna was too preoccupied gazing at the beautiful plants and the pure white marble statues to notice that they were approaching someone.

"Hello there Luna" the Nymph jumped, a small blush crept upon her face as she found herself looking up at the White Singer. Luna gazed in awe for a moment, her sister had told her many times that the story teller was beautiful, but as she continued to stare at the sparkling pure white hoop dress that sparkled brighter than any star, the young Nymph knew her sister hadn't been exaggerating. She bowed humbly to the woman in white since she couldn't verbally greet her. The singer chuckled "I'm glad you're alright, you certainly look much better than you did last night" Luna gave a small smile, the White Singer gestured behind her, stepping aside to reveal a rather large man dressed in decorative gold. He had a kind, hearty smile on his face as he bowed in greeting. At his side, a literal miniature version of him clung to his leg, the little boy waved shyly. Luna returned the greetings.

"It's good to see you up and about my dear" The large man said happily "I'm Tamir, or big Tamir if you prefer" He patted his little carbon copy on the head "And this is little Tamir, the White Angel said your name was Luna?" He asked, Luna nodded happily, making the White Singer laugh softly.

"Such expressive eyes" She praised "But still, I am terribly sorry about your voice..." Luna shook her head, shrugging her shoulders and gesturing in a way that said she was fine. A silence descended between them, Luna glanced around the vast garden. She felt safe enough, the love and friendship radiating from the people around her put her at ease. But the niggling in the back of her mind caused her to worry about her sister and clan all over again, Selene watched the younger Nymph carefully and place a comforting hand on her should.

"Little one, try not to worry yourself. Your sister will return" She said softly, big Tamir nodded.

"Fleur isn't that difficult a man to trace" The friendly man's face turned grave, which unnerved the others greatly "But I have to ask, what did Fleur want with you clan in the first place?" Luna shuddered, cringing at the memory of Fleur's cruel smile. She looked helplessly at big Tamir, before pointing to herself. Making the others frown.

"You're trying to say he was after you?" The White Singer asked gently, Luna nodded, not wanting to remember. There was no way she would be able to tell them that it was her gift of dance that had made her Fleur's target. She wasn't THAT expressive, so she simply shrugged at their inquisitive stares. She watched anxiously as they all exchanged a glance. But they were all soon smiling again as they turned back to Luna.

"Never mind" Big Tamir said happily "You're perfectly safe here, and you're more than welcome to stay for as long as you want. And Selene has a younger sister, Emilia. They will both look after you"

"It also may be a good idea to explore the place" The White Singer chimed in "This is a large place we live in with wonderful people who would be more than happy to welcome you"

* * *

Luna had finally decided to take the White Singer's advice and decided to explore the vast land, she nimbly leaped from her bedroom window and landed softly in the grass. She squinted against the sunlight and headed for the treeline, gracefully leaping from branch to branch. She relished the feeling of the sun's warmth on her face and the breeze flowing lightly through her white and red hair, though the beautiful weather did nothing to elevate her mood. It had been three days since she'd woken up at the White Singers palace, she was still terribly worried about Aria and the rest of her kin. No other Nymphs from her own clan had shown up yet, and Luna couldn't help but fear the worst. She hadn't even danced since she found herself here, and even though she was beyond grateful for everything the White Singer had done for her, Luna couldn't find happiness without her sister.

She paused momentarily for a quick rest, she perched on a thick tree branch and took a few breaths. As she gathered her bearings she caught a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye. Snapping to attention, Luna curiously peeked through the foliage of the tree. What she saw surprised her, a girl a little older than herself, she was dressed all in blue and her blonde hair was pulled tight above her head. The Nymph watched in fascination as the strange being lightly kicked a shiny silver hoop and effortlessly twisted the hoop up her lithe body all the way up to her raised hand, she then lifted her left leg parallel to her head, and Luna's amazement she actually began spinning the hoop on her pointed foot before contorting into various positions, all while keeping the hoop spinning. Luna very carefully climbed from the tree, making sure to to cause any noise that could disturb the hoop girl, Luna looked around to see numerous Bronx children and White Angels along with Big Tamir and Little Tamir had gathered to watch. She continued to watch from her spot in the grass as the strange girl added more hoops to her routine, it amazed the young Nymph how she could keep so many spinning at the same time. The routine ended as the silver hoops pooled around the girls ankles, she seemed to finally realize that she had an audience. The girl spun once and bowed to the applause, Luna sighed and looked down as the girl left the clearing. How she wished she could re-ignite her own passion for dancing again...

Luna watched as Big Tamir gathered the girls hoops and motioned for Little Tamir to follow, she got to her feet. Ready to scale the tree's and explore more when someone gently tapped her shoulder, she turned and was met with the gaze of the White Singer. Luna gasped in surprise, giving the story teller a half hearted smile.

"Hello sweetling" The white woman greeted kindly "I'm glad I ran into you" She offered her arm, which Luna cautiously took with a confused frown "I've noticed that you've been rather down lately, not that I can blame you my dear. But I wish to show you something"

Half confused and half intruged, Luna gently grasped the White Singers forearm as she led her through the trees and back into the open. The two women walked along a marble path and up a small grassy knoll, as they got closer to the edge Luna could here laughter and cheering ahead. The White Singer lightly tugged on Luna's arm, the young Nymph skipped the last few steps up the hill, curiously looking down at the source of the racket. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed into the shape of an O as she gazed at the scene below.

Before them was a small crowd of Bronx men and women, they soared through the air in a series of flips and twirls across a cross-shaped trampoline, Luna spotted the two other Nymphs who resided here, Selene and Emilia dancing and leaping with them. Luna watched the bronze-clad people preform their stunning acrobatic dance with precision and grace. A few times Luna cringed and gasped when she though someone was going to fall or land in an awkward way, but each move was completed and landed with style. As she continued to watch the merriment, Luna felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips for what felt like the first time in ages. While she was entranced by the troupe on the ground, a creaking noise from above drew her eyes up. Her mouth opening wider as she beheld what appeared to be a square high bar, about seven or eight Bronx men stood balanced on the structure, Luna watched, her keen lilac eyes followed one man as he leaped across the bars. Spinning three times before letting go, he flipped forward in the air, the Nymph would have cried out in shock if she could. But the fear instantly passed as he was caught by another man who swung a few meters underneath the high bar. She continued to gaze at the men in the air, briefly wishing that she could be up there, twirling and flying through the air like she was meant to. But she was brought back to earth by the voice of the White singer.

"Join them" Luna started, looking up at the story teller with an 'are you serious?' look. The woman laughed, "Such expressive eyes" She sighed, repeating herself from earlier "But I am serious, I can tell you love to dance, iv'e seen you watching the others over the past few days. And it might be just what you need to keep busy until your friends return" The White Singer held the Nymphs gaze, Luna chewed her lip uncertainly. She had to admit, it did look like a lot of fun, and she did love to dance. It was her entire life, but she hadn't practiced for a few days and her wings were still a little sore, what if she wasn't as good anymore? Her dancing was all she had, she'd be heartbroken if she'd lost it.

She was so engrossed in her worrying that she didn't even notice the outstretched hand in front of her face, she jolted back to reality and looked up to see Selene, the older Nymph had a expectant smile on her face.

"Come on" Selene encouraged, Luna glanced from her outstretched hand, and back to the dancing crowd. She hesitated only briefly before grabbing Selene's hand, allowing the older Nymph to drag her down the small hill and onto the X-shaped trampoline. Luna very nearly lost her balance as Selene practically threw her onto the bouncy ground, launching her a few meters in the air, Luna became brave and executed a quick back-flip landing it perfectly. And as the familiar little shock-wave jarred through her legs, something seemed to spark in her. And it wasn't long before she was tumbling neatly and swiftly across the trampoline, copying the movements of the Bronx kids as she glided alongside them. She would of laughed if she could have, but her bright smile and shining eyes showed her elation more than any voice could express. Oh how she missed this! Luna continued to leap and flip through the air, most of the Bronx kids had stopped to watch her dance. But Luna wasn't ready for the spotlight again just yet, so she leaped across the trampoline towards Selene and Emilia,blending in with their routine while the Bronx kids got back to their feet and continued to back-flip along the stage in a single file.

Above them, the men on the high bar had demounted. Landing safely in the net below, but their energy never dwindled as they immediately joined their fellow clan-mates on the trampoline. The stage became a little crowded, but there was still plenty of room for each being to dance and move about freely. A sweet, melodic voice echoed across the stage. Luna glanced behind her, she saw the White Singer standing on the grassy knoll. Singing one of her many tales, aiding them in their dance. Luna caught herself smiling again, the only thing missing was her sister and the fellow members of her clan, but she pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the joy the dancing was bringing her. She pirouetted a few times, loving how the stretchy ground aided her in her flight. But she ended up stopping short when she nearly knocked into someone. She nearly toppled but was able to keep her footing. Looking up, her breath caught in her throat as she was met with the most dazzling pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen, she blushed, smiling bashfully. Giving the slightly flustered Bronx man stood before her an apologetic look, she immediately recognized him as the one she first saw leap from the high bar. He simply smiled and shook his head as if to say it was no problem. No words were said, and his eyes never left hers as he bowed and held out a hand as an invitation. Luna blushed harder, but smiled nonetheless as she allowed him to spin her before they engaged in a duet, the White Singers music had slowed slightly, slowing their dance down.

Luna had never been in a situation like this before, sure, she'd danced with men before. But they were mostly White Angels and children, dancing with this man. Luna felt a little strange, but she found herself wanting to get closer to him. And as their little pas de deux continued she became more and more enamored with his kind eyes and dashing smile, but what she didn't know is that he seemed to be equally enchanted by the young Nymph, particularly her bright, expressive eyes and graceful movements. The sun was disappearing behind the treeline now, and the White Singer's song was beginning to dwindle, ending on a perfect high note and effectively halting the dancers altogether.

The loud laughter had faded, now being replaced with tired chuckles and heavy breathing. The people left in groups, but Luna was still fixated on the stranger she had just shared her last dance with. He gave her smile and took her left hand in both of his.

"I'm Canis by the way" he introduced himself with a small laugh "And thank you. You're an incredible dancer" Luna blushed "What is your name?" He asked curiously, the Nymph's stomach plummeted. She opened her mouth, and then mentally slapped herself when she realized that she couldn't make a sound. She simply sighed sadly before gesturing frantically to her throat and shaking her head, when he stared at her in confusion she sighed and Repeated the action, only more slowly. After a few seconds his eyes seemed to light up as he hit a realization "Oh, you can't speak?" Luna nodded and sighed, expecting him to leave. Instead, he kissed the back of her hand, she looked up at him, startled, he simply smiled "I'm very sorry about that, such a shame. I would love to know your name..."

Luna glanced up, seeing that the moon had already risen. She smiled and pointed towards the sky, he frowned, but followed her finger anyway. Once he saw where she was pointing he smirked "Moon?" he asked in amusement, Luna rolled her eyes and shook her head. He paused, chewing his lip while he thought of the many words relating to 'moon' "Luna?" He guessed again, he smiled widely as Luna nodded enthusiastically and did a little jump. "Luna...a beautiful name if I may say so" The young Nymph smiled and looked away shyly, "If you don't mind my asking, where are you staying? I haven't seen you around before" Luna pointed in the direction of the White Singers palace, Canis's eyes lit up again as another realization hit him "Ah, of course, you must be the Nymph Selene told us about..." He trailed off, his expression thoughtful, and Luna noticed that he hadn't let go of her hand throughout their exchange. Her heart melted all over again as he flashed another smile and bowed slightly "Well Luna, how about I escort you back to the palace? It's never pleasant to walk home alone in the dark"

Luna didn't even hesitate before smiling and nodding happily, hands still clasped and equally curious about one-another. The two nimbly leaped off the trampoline and walked in comfortable silence, enjoying the beautiful night and new-found spark.

* * *

**Well, there it is. Nice and ambiguous. Love it? Hate it? Have entirely mixed feelings? Please let me know! Also, message me if you have any questions or requests, I don't bite. Unless startled...**


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